Update: The PCWorld post referenced by this article "was written in a way that suggested it was original reporting" but "is not," the publication has subsequently stated. PCWorld has updated its article with sources, but says that the reporting still does not meet its publication standards. According to Windows Central's sources, "there is no plan to ship a Windows 12 this year." Our original article follows.
New versions of Microsoft's Windows OS don't come along very often. But could 2026 be the year of Windows 12? A new story from PCWorld summarises what it calls the latest "leaks, internal project references, and statements from hardware partners", which point to Windows 12 being a much more configurable and modular OS with a fancy new interface and a 2026 launch date. And, yes, it will inevitably be shot through with much deeper AI integration.
The look and feel of Windows 12 is also expected to be substantially different and new. One of the most dramatic interface changes is reportedly a new "floating" taskbar with rounded corners and transparent glass visual effects. Superficially, it sounds a lot like the Dock in Apple's MacOS, at least in terms of looks if not so much in functionality.
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It's also said that the system tray and clock move to the top-right corner of the display, with a Copilot-powered search bar located centrally at the top of the screen. Better support for touch control is also said to be a significant feature in the new interface.
Of course, the other major focus for Windows 12 from the get-go will be AI. Instead of an optional add-on, as in Windows 11, AI is said to be foundational with "OS-wide integration" of Copilot+ for Windows 12.
While it's tempting to view this as a worrying or negative development, especially given how hit-and-miss Microsoft's Copilot+ implementation in Windows 11 has been, there could be some very useful features if AI is implemented well. The conventional search experience in Windows has always been patchy. But Windows 12 is expected to support "semantic" searches, which could allow you to find folders and files without knowing the exact file name.
Previous leaks have indicated that Windows 12 could become a "voice-controlled chatbot," but there's less of an emphasis on that eventuality in the latest leak round-up. Whatever, full support for the AI functionality is said to require an NPU with at least 40 TOPS of performance. So, for those who are AI resistant or sceptical, perhaps avoiding system configurations with built-in NPUs could become de rigueur.
It is theoretically possible that Microsoft could limit Windows 12 to PCs with compliant NPUs. However, given that Intel's current Arrow Lake CPUs have an NPU limited to 13 TOPS and AMD's desktop CPUs don't have an NPU at all, a launch of Windows 12 restricted to systems with 40 TOPS-plus NPUs would mean no Windows 12 on the desktop, which seems an unlikely strategy.
Microsoft is said to be planning various other tweaks for Windows 12. As you would expect, that includes tighter Xbox integration. Better power management is also on the list. But exactly how radical Windows 12 proves to be, we'll have to wait and see. Hopefully it will indeed be released later this year, and there isn't long to wait.
Personally, I'd quite like to see really good support for high-DPI displays, something that was supposed to be a major part of Windows 7 way back when it was still in its "Longhorn" development stage, but has never really materialised. I'd take that over more unreliable AI slop, that's for sure. Let us know below your most-wanted upgrades for Windows 12.
